Monday, Apr 18 - Morning brief for the stock market:

Stocks To Watch: HDFC Bank, Indian Overseas Bk, Shipping Corp

Monday, Apr 18 - Morning brief for the stock market:

BIG PICTURE

* China hikes reserve ratio by 50 basis points, effective Apr 21. (var)

* RBI, SEBI likely to crack the whip on FII funds in banks. (ET)

TOP EVENTS TODAY

* Nifty companies detailing Oct-Dec earnings:

+ HDFC Bank (net seen 10.92 bln rupees, up 31% on year)

* Oct-Dec earnings to be detailed by: Cera Sanitaryware, CMC, IFCI, Indbank Merchant Banking Services, Indusind Bank, Persistent Systems, Magma Fincorp, VTM.

* Annual General Meet of: Schlafhorst Engineering India.

* Board Meetings of:

+ Jaihind Synthetics to consider preferential issue of shares or convertible warrants..

INDICATORS (previous session)

* NSE provisional net buy/(sale) in bln rupees, Apr 15: FII (2.53), DII (3.61)

* Institutional net buy/(sale) in bln rupees, Apr 13: FIIs 2.03, MF 2.31

* FII NSE futures net buy/(sale) in bln rupee, Apr 15: index (9.70), shr (5.74)

* Sensex 19,386.82, down 310.04 points; Nifty 5,824.55, down 89.95 points.

* Crude: $109.03/bbl; Rupee: XX.XX/$1; Gold: $1,485.00/ounce; 10-yr yld: X.XX%

OUTLOOK

* Share indices are likely to open slightly weak today amid mixed overseas cues and action will be stock specific and dictated by corporate earnings.

SECTOR STOCKS OUTLOOK

* AUTO: Seen in a narrow band ahead of Q4 earnings.

* BANK: To eye stock-specific cues; HDFC Bank in focus.

* CAPITAL GOODS: In range; to track broad mkt.

* CEMENT: Positive bias; Jan-Mar earnings eyed.

* FMCG: Mixed; ITC up on long build-up; HUL seen down.

* IT: Seen under pressure; TCS in focus.

* OIL: Seen in range as crude stabilises.

* PHARMA: Neutral; to take cue from broad market.

* STEEL: Marginally up; Jindal Steel in focus.

* TELECOM: Range bound; telecom probe eyed.

GLOBAL STOCK MARKETS

* US shares ended up on Friday as gains made on better-than-expected economic data offset losses due to weak corporate earnings.

* Asian shares were mixed today as retail shares gained but technology stocks slipped amid a strengthening yen. Japan's Nikkei tumbled o.5% after China raised banks' reserve requirement ratio to curb the spiralling inflation.

IPO

* Muthoot Finance raises 1.31 bln rupees from 15 anchor investors. (PTI)

SECTOR NEWS

* AUDIT: Auditor Price Waterhouse India admits to US regulator that deficiencies in their audit process were not restricted to SATYAM COMPUTER SERVICES but other companies as well. (ET)

* CEMENT: India's cement production grew 5.1% on year in March to 16.79 mln tn.

* ENERGY: State-owned oil marketing companies have hiked aviation turbine fuel prices by an average of 1,296.25 rupees per kL in the four metro cities.

* FARM: Overall monsoon rains over South Asia are likely to be normal this year according a consensus statement by the South Asian Climate Outlook Forum.

Private companies to be roped in for grain storage. (FE)

* FERTILIZER: Companies to recover input taxes from farmers. (FE)

* FINANCE: Indian Infrastructure Finance Co's credit enhancement scheme likely to get operationalized from May. (FE)

* HOTEL: Hyderabad hotel inventory set to increase 50% by 2014. (FC)

* INSURANCE: Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India hikes third party motor premiums by up to 70% from Apr 25. (ET)

Essar group's 9-bln-rupee terror claim regarding the damage and disruption caused by the Maoist attach on its steel production facilities rejected. (FE)

* INVESTMENT: Tata Group plans to invest $27 bln in India in the next five years with aim to double its revenues to $150 bln by then. (var)

* MEDIA: Star India launches five high-definition channels. (FE)

Information and Broadcast minirstry moots new timeline for cable TV digitalisation. (DNA)

* METAL & MINING: Government to review illegal mining with state governments on Apr 28 to review actions taken to curb the same. (PTI)

Supreme Court issues notice to Meghalaya government on illegal mining in Lafarge case. (FE)

Iron ore exports resume from Goa. (var)

* NBFC: The Allahabad High Court has vacated its interim order staying the SEBI's order that barred two Sahara Group companies from raising funds.

* OIL & GAS: Gas supplies under pressure as Panna-Mukta and Tapti fields output falls 30%. (ET)

* PHARMA: Himalaya Drug Co to enter France, Germany, UK markets; aims to increase revenue to nearly 12.5 bln rupees for the year ending March. (var)

* POWER: Punjab State Electricity Board, Hinduja, and Vedanta have sought the coal ministry's approval to increase capacities of their proposed power plants in Andhra Pradesh and Punjab by a total of 420 MW. (BS)

Power ministry may finalise power survey draft for 2012-2017 next month.(PTI)

Andhra Pradesh government alots 800 acres for Brighton's unit to make nuclear plant components. (FC)

* REAL ESTATE: ASK Property buys 50% in Chennai residential project promoted by Real Value group. (ET)

* REGULATORY: The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority stakes claim to pension schemes, on collision course with Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India; Financial Stability and Development Council to take call on turf war. (ET)

Securities and Exchange Board of India may approach telecom regulator to

curb unsolicited stock tips on mobile phones. (ET)

SEBI files caveat in Supreme Court claiming any petition on its ongoing case against two Sahara group companies cannot be decided without its knowledge. (BS)

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* TELECOM: India added 14.5 mln mobile users in March.

Government mulls giving cell location information for value added services. (DNA)

Department of Telecom to demand 1.5 bln rupees penalty from old telecom operators for not rolling out networks on time in the past. (ToI)

STOCKS

* ASSAM CO: Impleaded itself in Amguri oilfield dispute. (BS)

* BANK OF MAHARASHTRA: May soon reduce deposit rates on some special schemes that were launched in March to attract depositors. (NW18)

* BHARAT HEAVY ELECTRICALS: May finalise NBFC plan by July. (BL)

* COAL INDIA: To hire 1,400 executives by October. (ET)

* DABUR INDIA: Forays into hand sanitiser market; aims for double-digit market share in the hand sanitiser market in the next three years. (BS)

* ELDER PHARMACEUTICALS: Plans to set up plant in Bulgaria. (FE)

* GMR INFRASTRUCTURE: Government rejects its request to change the sector of Hyderabad Special Economic Zone from 'aviation' to multi-product airport-based', saying the special enclave is not part of the airport. (FC)

* ICICI BANK: UK, Canada outfits may cut lending o Indian firms. (BL)

* IL&FS ENGINEERING: Eyes orders worth 160 bln rupees by 2014. (FE)

* INDIABULLS REAL ESTATE: Promoters have raised their stake in the company to 25.57% from 22.96% by purchasing shares from the open market.

* INDIAN OVERSEAS BANK: Has raised $500 mln via medium term notes.

* INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES: Banking products suite Finacle Lite, eyes co-operative banks, community banks, and credit unions as customers. (FC)

* NIRAJ CEMENT STRUCTURALS: Plans to raise up to 5 bln rupees through equity.

* RELIANCE INDUSTRIES: Eyes more diamond mining areas in Madhya Pradesh; may bid for licence in Panna region. (ET)

To discuss financial sector strategy at board meet next week. (BS)

Company, Essar Oil, INDIAN OIL CORP to buy CAIRN India's crude oil this fiscal. (BL)

* RELIANCE INFRASTRUCTURE: The Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission has asked the company to buy power from Wardha Power Co from Wednesday for its Mumbai distribution circle. (ET)

* SHIPPING CORP OF INDIA: Has signed contracts with Chinese company Grand Yard Investments to acquire two under-construction supramax bulk carriers.

* STATE BANK OF INDIA: Set to increase its base rate by 25 bps. (BS)

Central bank rejects bank's appeal to waive the additional provision requirement for its special home loans. (Mint)

* STEEL AUTHORITY OF INDIA: To increase installed capacity by about two-third to 24 mln tn by the end of 2012-13. (BL)

* STERLITE INDUSTRIES: To invest around 25 bln rupees to double Tuticorin copper smelting plant capacity by 2013. (BS)

Eyes revenue from copper slag sale. (FC)

* TAMIL NADU TELECOMMUNICATIONS: To sue Bharat Sanchar Nigam for flouting norms in awarding optical fibre contract to higher bidders. (FE)

* TATA MOTORS: Global vehicle sales in March rose 9% from a year ago to 110,785 units.

Cuts production of passenger cars. (Mint)